Howdy all,
The last three days have been pretty slow with only 43 birds banded during
that time, but we have caught a few species of note. On Saturday, Bart Paxton
filled in for me so I could go have fun on one of Brian Pattesons pelagics,
which was a nice break and nice for this Kansas boy to see the ocean birds
again!
And better yet, I didn't get sea sick! Anyway, Saturday was a slow day with
only 11 birds banded. Sunday was not much better but we did catch a hatching
year MOURNING WARBLER and YELLOW WARBLER. We ended up with 16 birds which was
also the same total we had today (8/22). Today however we started the day with
the capture of two EASTERN SCREECH OWLS! One was already banded and the other
was a hatch year bird. The banded bird is most likely from the William and Mary
project, run by Dr. Brian Watts, that targets Northern Saw-whet Owls. That
project occurs later in the fall. They usually catch a few Screech Owls every
fall, and they too, are banded.
So it was a kick start for the day but it soon slowed down again. We also
banded a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and saw a small movement of TRAILL'S FLYCATCHERS
today as well. For those who have never heard of a Traill's Flycatcher, it is a
generic term used by banders mainly. Basically it means we (banders) have no
clue if it is a Willow or an Alder Flycatcher, to an extent. The two obviously
look very very similar and they are hard to tell apart even in hand. We take a
bunch of different measurements and then use them in a formula and the
outcome number tells us if it is a Willow or Alder, SOMETIMES.
Anyway, we plugged the numbers of one of the birds while at the station and
it came out as a Willow. Anyway, that is something we can do outside of the
banding station. So for now, I will just have them down as "Traill's"
Flycatchers.
Here is the numbers for the last three days.
8/20:
A. Redstart 3
Black-and-white Warbler 3
C. Yellowthroat 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
N. Cardinal 2
TOTAL ----------------------- 11
8/21:
Prairie Warbler 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Mourning Warbler 1
N. Waterthrush 1
Field Sparrow 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Carolina Wren 3
N. Cardinal 4
N. Mockingbird 2
TOTAL -------------------------- 16
8/22:
A. Redstart 4
C. Yellowthroat 1
N. Waterthrush 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Traill's Flycatcher 4
Field Sparrow 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Screech Owl 1 Also had a recapture
TOTAL ------------------------- 16
So far this season we have banded 152 birds which is the second highest total
to-date in the five years I have banded here. Last year we had a great start!
I sure hope the numbers keep up. As for diversity, we are doing really well,
already catching a few birds that we seldom catch. It could be another great
year for diversity! Sure hope so!
I hope everyone can make it out to the banding station this fall! If you are
planning a trip, here is some advise. If you want to see diversity, the middle
half of September to the first week of October is usually the best time. If
you want to see volume, the middle of October is the best. That is when the
Yellow-rumped Warblers come plowing in! The peak date the last four years have
been 16th, 15th, 30th, and the 14th October from 2001-2004 respectively! Got to
love that cold front around the middle of October!
Cheers,
Jethro Runco
Head bander
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory
